Coal pocket or bin.



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PATENTED JULY 21, 1908-. l G. W. PRBELAND.

COAL POCKET 0R BIN. y PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP ov. 3o, 1907.

No. 894,133. vvIA'I`EI\ITE.D JULY 21, 1908.

G. W. PREBLAND.

COAL POCKET OR BIN. APPLIGATION FILED Nov. so, 1907. 3 SHEETS SHEET 2' Xllm.

@fda/rume PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

G. w. PREBLAND. COAL POCKET 0R BIN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

GEORGE W. FREELAND, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMS, WHITE &COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COAL POCKET OR BIN.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Juiy 21, 190s.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. FREELAND, of Moline, county of RockIsland, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Coal Pockets or Bins, of which the following is aspeciiication.

This invention relates to coal pockets or bins used for the storage andloading of coal into locomotive tenders, which bins are usually arrangedat the side of the track and sustained with their bottoms somewhat abovethe level of the top of the tender, so that the coal may flow by gravityinto the same. Such pockets are usually equipped with a door or gate tocontrol the How of the coal therefrom, and are provided beyond this gatewith a chute or apron for directing the coal into the tender, Whichparts are adapted to be operated by the engineer or other attendant;whereby when the tender arrives opposite the bin, it may be quickly andconveniently filled with coal therefrom.

My invention is directed particularly to the gate or door, and to theapron or chute, the invention consisting in an improved construction ofthese parts and the mechanism Y by which they are operated, having inview simplicity of construction and ease and effectiveness in operation.

In the accompanying drawings z-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pocketor bin provided with my improved gate and apron, the gate being in openposition, and the apron extended. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the gateclosed and the apron folded to vertical position. Eig. 3 is a frontelevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofthe gate removed. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the frontportion of the bin, showing how the apron is sustained and guided topermit of its being folded when not in use. Eig. 6 is a side elevationof the apron extended for use. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the apronfolded when not in use.

Referring to the drawings 2-1 represents a coal pocket or bin consistingof the side walls 2, the front wall 3, and the inclined bottom 4, whichbin is sustained by a suitable framing consisting of the two verticaluprights -or beams 5 at the front, the two vertical beams 6 at the rear,and the horizontal transverse beams 7 and 7 a extending beneath andgiving support to the inclined bottom at the front and at the rear.

The front wall 3 terminates some distance above the bottom, leaving anopening 8, forming a mouth through which the coal is discharged, whichmouth, as shown in Eig. 3, is contracted transversely so that the sidewalls 9 of the same extend some distance inwardly of the main side walls2 of the bin.

The mouth is adapted to be closed by a gate 10, of the form representedin Eig. 4, consisting of a segmental section 11 of sheet iron riveted-atits ends to curved angle irons 12 and having its upper edge bentoutwardly and downwardly, forming a lip 13, the purpose of which willpresently appear. The curved angle irons have firmly riveted to them attheir ends, forked plates or frames 14 which extend parallel to eachother and terminate in arms 15, provided each with a counterweight 16,which frames are pivoted to the side framing of the bin by means of`pivot bolts 17, so that the gate may rock on a transverse horizontalaxis, whereby the segmental section 11 may be moved in front of andclose the mouth 8 of the bin, or may be lowered free of said mouth, asshown in Fig. 1.

The weight and disposition of the counterweights on arms 15 are suchthat the gate will be balanced on its pivotal axis, so that but littlelabor will be required to operate the same in shifting it from open toclosed posi tion, or vice versa.

The operation of the gate is eected by means of two ropes 17 and 13, therope 17 being connected to the upper end of a vertical arm 19, Jiixed atits lower end to a hori- Zontal rock shaft 20, mounted in bearings 21 onthe front of the coal pocket. This rock shaft is provided on its endopposite where the arm 19 is connected, with a right angularly extendingarm 22, which is jointed, by means of a link 23, to the side of thegate. A second link 24 is jointed at its lower end to the opposite sideof the gate and at its upper end to the arm 19 at a point axially inline with the pivotal connection of the arm 22 with the other link. As aresult of this construction, the gate is suspended by means of the twovertical parallel links 23 and 24, from the arms on the rock shaft 20,so that when said shaft is rocked forward to lower the arms, the gatewill also be lowered .from in front of the mouth, and the coal will befree to flow from the pocket; and when said shaft is rocked in theopposite direction, the links will be raised and the gate will be liftedand will close in front of the mouth. The lowering of the gate to openthe mouth is effected by pulling on the rope 17, which will draw the arm19 forwardly and rock the shaft so as to lower the suspending links. Thegate may be raised to closed position by pulling on rope 18, whichpasses over a pulley 25 sustained by the framing at the top of the bin,and which is connected with the arm 19, with the result that said armwill be drawn upwardly, will raise the links, and thereby pull the gateupwardly in front of the mouth. `-`Sustained by the framing of thepocket in position to receive the coal when the gate is opened, is anapron or chute 30, so mounted that it may be folded up vertically whennot in use, as shownin Fig. 2. rlhis chute comprises side walls 30a andthe bottom 30h, and it is mounted at its rear end so that it may slidevertically at this point and also rock on a transverse horizontal axisso that it may be folded. In order to permit of these movements, theside walls are provided near their upper and rear ends with laterallyextending studs 31, which studs extend loosely, so as to slide freely,in vertical guides or slots 32, formed in the inner faces of verticalbars 33 fixed to the front timbers 5 of the framing. The apron is guidedin its movements and suspended, when in extended position, by means oftwo vertical links 34, pivoted at their lower ends, as at 35, to theside walls of the apron, and pivoted at their upper ends, as at 36, tothe timbers 5 of the framing. In its folded upright position, as shownin Fig. 2, the studs 31 extend in the lower portions of the guidingslots, with the delivery end of the apron resting against the front ofthe bin. To extend the apron to operative position, the delivery end isdrawn downwards by means of a rope 36a connected to the under side ofthe same, which will causethe receiving end of the apron to moveupwardly, with the studs 31 sliding upwardly in the guiding slots;at-the same time, the lower ends of the links 34 will swing outwardlyand support the apron in the position shown in Fig. 1, the movement ofthe inner end of the apron upwardly beyond the proper point beingchecked bymeans of a chain 38 connected with the side of the apron andwith the front of the framing. The relation of the suspending links 34and the studs 31 to the other parts is such that the apron will bebalanced in its movements, so that there will be little or no forcerequired to shift the same from its operative to its inoperativeposition, or vice versa. l

On reference to Fig. 6, it will be observed that when the apron islowered for use, and the gate also lowered to open the dischargeopening, the flange 13 on said gate will overlap the rear receiving endof the apron, so that the ange serves to close the space between theforward face of the gate and the rear edge of the apron, and bycontacting with said apron, it acts to limit the downward openingmovement of the gate.

In order that the coal as it flows from the end of the apron into thetender may be distributed therein from one side to the other, and thiswithout shifting the position of the apron, I provide at the deliveryend of the apron an adjustable hood 40, consisting of a segmental shieldor plate 41, carried by parallel arms 42 pivoted to the sides of theapron on a transverse axis as at 43. In the position of the hood shownin full lines in Fig. 6, the coal flowing from the apron will bedeflected by the hood downward vertically, so that it will be directedto the near side of the tender. By shifting the hood vertically on itsaxis to the position shown in dotted lines in said figure, the flow ofthe coal will be unobstructed, and it will consequently flow in adirection more nearly approaching the horizontal and will fall in thetender towards its opposite side. So by intermediate adjustments of thehood, which may be effected by the engineer or other attendant on thetender, the distribution of the coal from side to side may be accuratelycontrolled, and thetender loaded in a uniform manner. In order that thehood may be held in its adjusted positions, l provide the same with anotched strap 45, which is adapted to engage over a fixed pin 46 on theside of the apron, and to thereby hold the-hood in its adjustedposition.

It will be observed that when the gate is in closed position, the pointsof pivotal connection of the links 23 and 24 with the arms 19 and 22,will be to one side of the axis of the rock shaft 20, the result beingthat the weight of the parts will tend to hold them locked in thisposition, with the gate closed, the effect of pulling on the rope beingto shift the pivotal points to the other side of the axis of the shaftand thus release the parts and permit the gate to be opened. It willalso be observed that by reason of the location of the point's ofpivotal connection of the suspending links 34 with the sides of theapron 30, said points of connection being nearer to the bottom of theapron, the preponderance of weight, when the apron is suspended by thelinks in vertical position, as shown in Fig. 7, will hold the partslocked in this position, the effect of pulling on the rope 36 being toshift the upper or delivery end of the apron with reference to thesuspending pivotal points, with the result that the parts will beunlocked and the apron permitted to be turned downwardly to operativeposition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is .Y

1. In combination with a coal pocket provided at its front with adischarge opening, a gate shiftable vertically across said opening on ahorizontal transverse axis situated in sans?? the rear of the same,vertical links connected at their lower ends with the sides of the gateat its front, and means connected with the upper ends of said links forraising and lowering them; Whereby the gate is suspended at its front bymeans of the links and may be moved on its axis to open or close thedisphslirge opening by raising and lowering the 2. In combination with acoal pocket having a discharge opening, a gate for closing said openingshiftable vertically on a horizontal transverse axis, a horizontal rockshaft above the gate, arms on said shaft, vertical links jointed to saidarms and to the sjldefs of the gate, and means for rocking the s a t.

3. In combination with a coal pocket having a discharge opening, asegmental gate therefor shftable on a horizontal transverse axis,a'horizontal rock shaft above the ate, arms extending transversely fromsaid shaft, links jointed to the arms and to the sides of the gate, anextension on one of said arms, a rope connected with said extension;whereby the shaft may be rocked forwardly to lower the gate, a secondrope connected with said extension to rock the shaft in the oppositedirection to raise`the gate, and a guide over which the second ropeasses.

4. In combination with a coal ocket having a discharge opening, avertica ly shiftable gate therefor, an arm mounted to rock on ahorizontal transverse axis, and a link pivoted at its upper end to thearm and at its lower end to the gate and adapted by the rockingmovements of the arm to raise and lower the gate respectively to closedand open positions, the relation of the parts being such that when thearm is in an upright position with the gate raised, the ivotalconnection of the link and arm will e to one side of a line passingthrough the axis of the arm and throu h the pivotal connection of thelink with t e gate; whereby the parts will be held locked with the gatein closed position.

5. In combination with a coal pocket formed with a discharge opening, anapron to receive the coal from the pocket, said apron being mounted atits receiving end to move vertically and to rock on a horizontaltransverse axis at its point of vertical movement that it may be foldedin an upright position, and suspending links pivoted at their upper endsto the bin and at their lower ends to the apron forward of saidtransverse axis.

6. In combination with a sustaining framing, a coal pocket or binsupported thereby and provided with a discharge opening, an apron toreceive the coal fr om the bin, said apron being provided at itsreceiving end with lateral studs extending in vertical guideways in theframing, whereby the apron may move vertically in said guideways androck at its point of vertical movement on a horizontal transverse axis,and suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to the framing and attheir lower ends to the apron forward of said transverse axis` 7. Incombination with a coal pocket formed with a discharge opening, an apronto receive the coal therefrom, said apron being mounted at its receivingend to move vertically and to rock on a horizontal transverse axissituated at its point of vertical movement that it may be folded in anupright position, suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to thebin and at their lower ends to the apron, forward of its axis and meansfor limiting the vertical movement of the receiving end of the apron;Whereby the sustaining links and limiting means will conj ointly sustainthe apron in position to receive the coal from the discharge opening.

8. In combination with a coal pocket or bin provided with a dischargeopening, an apron to receive the coal from the bin, said apron beingmounted at its receiving end to move vertically and to rock on ahorizontal transverse axis that it may be folded in an upright position,and suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to the bin framing andat their lower ends to the sides of the apron on an axis located nearerthe bottom of the apron; whereby the preponderance of weight, when theapron is in an upright position, will hold the parts locked.

9. The combination with the pocket having a discharge opening, a gatemovable upwardly across the o ening to shut off the flow, arms connecteat their forward ends with said gate and extending rearwardly alongsidethe discharge opening and pivoted between their ends to the pocket,counterbalancing weights on the inner ends of said arms, a horizontalrock shaft above the discharge o ening, laterally projecting armsconnecte with said shaft, and links connected at their upper ends withsaid arms and at their lower ends with the forward ends of thegate-carrying-arms, said links being ada ted to swing inwardly towardsthe front o the pocket past the rock shaft when the ate is raised;whereby the gate will be held ocked in closed position.

l0. The combination with the coal pocket having a discharge opening, ofa vertically swinging gate having an outwardly projecting flange at theupper end, and a vertically swinging apron overlapped at its inner edgeby said ange when the gate and apron are lowered, and means foroperating the gate and a ron; whereby the flange closes the spacehetween the rear end of the apron and the gate and acts to limit thedownward movement of the gate.

11. The combination with the apron, of a 1. at their lower ends to saidarms, and pins on In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 12thday of November, 1907 in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

GEORGE W. FREELAND. l/Vitnesses:

C. R. RosBoRoUGH, AL. B. LINDBURG.

hood in advance ofthe discharge end thereof, arms on said hood extendingrearwardly along the sides of the apron and ivoted at their rear endsthereto, notched lin s pvoted the side of the apron ada ted to heengaged by the notches in said lin (s.

